


He Believes In You

by orphan_account



Category: Dancing with the Stars (US) RPF, Valdaya
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-06
Updated: 2015-04-06
Packaged: 2018-03-21 13:14:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3693581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zendaya confides in Alex about why she is nervous for her Sway 2.0 performances.</p>
            </blockquote>





	He Believes In You

**Author's Note:**

> This is fiction, not reality.

> _Sway was freakin’ amazing. I gotta do it tomorrow and now I’m nervous because it’s even better than the first time. I gotta get my act together.  That was incredible._

Zendaya looked down as Alex stopped recording.  They were standing in a corner of the room as Maks and Val approached the bar to grab a drink.  Her eyes followed them as they took their glasses from the bartender and made their way to the center of the dance floor.  Echoes of laughter clashed with the sounds of voices and music, reverberating around the room as people flocked to encircle the brothers. 

“Are you okay?” Alex asked quietly. 

“Fine,” she answered, turning her head to face him.  “Why wouldn’t I be?”

He didn’t say anything; he simply gestured towards his phone and lifted an eyebrow.

She sighed.  She should have known better than to say that in front of Alex.  He knew her almost as well as Val did.  She opened her mouth, but two young women approached them to ask for pictures before she could form a response.  A few minutes later, as they thanked them profusely and left, Zendaya hoped that Alex had forgotten about what he had asked her. 

She should have known better.

“You weren’t this worried about your first two Sway performances,” he said, picking up their conversation from where they had left off.  “Why are you nervous about these ones?”

“I didn’t have as much to live up to in the last two,” she answered, her gaze sweeping the crowd to find Val again.  She finally found him talking to her mom across the room.  He was gesturing wildly as he talked, making a small smile momentarily unfurl across her lips. 

“What are you talking about?” Alex asked, distracting her. 

“Look at the women who are in the production this time.  Most of them have been dancing ballroom for the majority of their lives.  And Sharna, Peta, and Jenna are _amazing._ There’s no way that I’ll be able to measure up to them.”

Alex remained silent for a few seconds and finally Zendaya looked over at him.  He looked like he had been punched in the gut. 

“Is that really what you’re worried about?  That you won’t measure up?”

She shrugged.  “I just don’t want to disappoint anyone.”

“You mean you don’t want to disappoint Val.”

She lowered her gaze, not able to meet his eyes. 

“Z –

“I know it sounds stupid, but –

“That’s because it  _is_ stupid,” he interrupted.  “I don’t call you Queen Z for no reason.”

“You’re biased.”

He shrugged, knowing that she was right.  “I am, but –

“This isn’t  _Dancing With the Stars_ , Alex.  This is a way to bring in business for Dance With Me and if I screw up it could make Val look bad.”

“I get it.  I mean, it is partially about business.”

“So you agree with me then?”

“I said I understood, not that I agreed.”  She turned her head to face him, waiting for him to continue.  “Z, if Val didn’t think that you could measure up to DWM’s high standards, he wouldn’t have asked you to be in the show… _twice._ He believes in you; he  _knows_  that you can do this.  It’s never crossed his mind that you couldn’t.”

The sound of Val’s voice, rising above the rest in the crowded room, drew her attention.  He was dancing with Serge, Teddy, and Nicole, rapping along with the song’s lyrics.  He looked so happy, like he didn’t have a care in the world.  She knew beneath the pretenses he had thrown up for the party, his back ached and he was beyond exhausted, but it never showed on his face. 

She swallowed, thinking about the past few years with him.  He had fiercely believed in her during their season, pushing her further than she had ever been pushed before, because he knew that she would rise to the challenge and be even more incredible for doing so.  She had learned so much from him, but the one thing that would always be the most important to her was how he had instinctively known that she could do so much more than she had ever imagined.  That belief had created a drive in her to keep pushing herself further and further in order to ensure that he never felt that his confidence in her had been misplaced. 

But his belief in her had never faltered.  He had supported the drop of “Replay” and the release of her album, even going so far as to drive an hour out of his way to see her in concert.  When she had been cast as Aaliyah and people had come out of the woodwork to complain about her not being good enough, he had defended her, claiming that there was no one better for the part.  He had listened to her misgivings about the biopic and supported her decision to pull out, not because of the outcries for someone else to be cast but because she felt uncomfortable about the family not being involved or giving their blessing.  And when she had landed the lead role and a spot as a producer on K.C. Undercover, he had not even been surprised.  Proud, yes, but he had said from the very beginning that she was going to do amazing things.  It was not a matter of whether or not she would blow up, just a matter of when. 

That level of belief added to her own self-confidence, but it also added quite a bit of pressure.  When she had walked into that dance studio nearly two years ago, the last thing that she expected was to meet someone who would become such a vital fixture in her life.  His presence had filled a hollow place inside of her that she had never known existed.  Now, aware of just how much confidence he had in her ability, the last thing in the world that she wanted was to lose that.

But knowing Val as she did, she also knew that regardless of how the world saw her, she would always be his shining light, a beacon of hope and inspiration that would never die out.  Somewhere deep inside of her, she understood that no matter what she did, he would always be proud of her. 

Val smiled at Nicole as she swung her hips to the beat, but then his gaze shifted over her shoulder and his eyes met Zendaya’s.  Her emotions must have showed on her face, or he was simply employing his ability to read her as easily as she could him, because his forehead wrinkled in confusion.  She sent him a small smile, but he started making his way towards them.  They had mere moments before he would reach them, even with the crowd impeding his movements.  She turned toward Alex, wanting one final answer from him. 

“You said having me in Sway was partially about business.  What was the other reason?”

Alex smiled at her.  “He would use any excuse necessary just to get to dance with you again.  Why do you think he chose you over every professional dancer he’s ever met?  Because he wanted to share this with  _you_.”


End file.
